Record Haul for Discovery's Deadliest Catch

Eighty-three hours into its run, Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch posted its biggest deliveries on Tuesday night, as the series embarked on a multi-episode arc chronicling the death of Captain Phil Harris.

At 9 p.m., Deadliest Catch averaged a series-high 5.37 million viewers, of which 3.25 million were members of the core 25-54 demo. Titled “Blown Off Course,” the installment was the first to address the skipper’s fatal stroke. (Harris died on Feb. 9, 2010, less than two weeks after suffering a stroke while off-loading his boat, the Cornelia Marie.)

The episode also delivered the series’ largest concentration of viewers 18-49, averaging 2.91 million, per Nielsen live-plus-same-day ratings data.

At 10 p.m., Discovery’s After the Catch roundtable drew 3.49 million viewers, including 2.18 million adults 25-54. Discovery runs four or five After the Catch features per season.

The remainder of the sixth season will focus on Harris’ hospitalization and death, and Discovery will run a special one-hour retrospective on June 20. Deadliest Catch: Captain Phil Harris Remembered will include interviews and never-before-seen footage.

Eighty-three hours into its run, Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch posted its biggest deliveries on Tuesday night, as the series embarked on a multi-episode arc chronicling the death of Captain Phil Harris.

At 9 p.m., Deadliest Catch averaged a series-high 5.37 million viewers, of which 3.25 million were members of the core 25-54 demo. Titled “Blown Off Course,” the installment was the first to address the skipper’s fatal stroke. (Harris died on Feb. 9, 2010, less than two weeks after suffering a stroke while off-loading his boat, the Cornelia Marie.)

The episode also delivered the series’ largest concentration of viewers 18-49, averaging 2.91 million, per Nielsen live-plus-same-day ratings data.

At 10 p.m., Discovery’s After the Catch roundtable drew 3.49 million viewers, including 2.18 million adults 25-54. Discovery runs four or five After the Catch features per season.

The remainder of the sixth season will focus on Harris’ hospitalization and death, and Discovery will run a special one-hour retrospective on June 20. Deadliest Catch: Captain Phil Harris Remembered will include interviews and never-before-seen footage.